112 Time's Needle
The background is white. ; Panel 1 Zane is lying on the couch in Dr. Angstrom's study, his teeth gritted and one hand over his belly while the other gestures. Angstrom is sitting in the chair beside him, smiling slightly as he takes notes on a little notepad. Zane still has the scar on his forehead, although it is faded and the stitches are out. ; Panel 2. Iris and Zane are walking outside. Iris looks happy, while Zane looks at her with a slightly sheepish but happy look on his face. Mercy is clinging to his shoulder, looking at Iris. It's a clear, beautiful day. ; Panel 3. Zane and the Bottlefly Boys are sitting at the bar in the speakeasy. The Boys are all smiling jovially, holding tall glasses of switchwater, and Maurice is holding his arm out as if he's about to clap Zane on the back. Zane looks happy and slightly subdued as he holds a mug of coffee or tea and looks to the side. ; Panel 4. Zane stands behind the counter at the antiques store, selling a young woman a beige pitcher. They're both smiling cheerfully, and she's handing him a stack of crisp green bills. Behind Zane is the Encyclopedia Atlantica poster, picturing a row of books and the slogans "The World At Your Fingertips with the Encyclopedia Atlantica" and "Imagine Knowing It All!" ; Panel 5. Zane, walking in the park, stops and stoops down to pet a pug dog. The dog is little and goofy looking, with bulging eyes, a tongue sticking out and a curled up little tail. Zane is smiling and looking relaxed. The dog's owner, standing and holding the dog's leash, looks rather taken aback by Mercy, who is flying toward him. ; Panel 6. Zane is in Virgil's old room, sitting at the desk and reading the paper. The room has been cleaned up. The papers that were covering the desk and walls have been taken down, the cabinets above the bed have no nails on them, and the bed's sheets, blankets and pillows all look new. There are some books on either side of Zane on the desk. Zane has the paper opened up in front of him, and on the back page is the comics section, with three comics in black-and-white. The top one has Cadavre talking to himself, then to the skeleton cat, then running away, but the words are too small to make out. ; Panel 7. Zane is walking by the bathroom sink, wiping his hands together and whistling. His cheeks are comically puffed out, and his eyes are closed. His reflection is visible in the bathroom mirror to his right. The mirror appears to be the door of a medicine cabinet, and the door is open slightly. Zane's right side is reflected in the mirror, showing his puffed out cheeks and the scar on his forehead. The background is a light blue. ; Panel 8. Zane turns towards the mirror, his surprise indicated by some thin lines coming from his forehead. The reader sees the back of his head, and his face is reflected in the mirror. His eyes are blank and surprised, and he looks dismayed. The background is a slightly darker greyish-blue. ; Panel 9. Zane brings his head closer to the mirror, furrowing his brows and looking taken aback as he stares at his reflection. The background has become slightly darker. ; Panel 10. Zane looks concerned as he touches his forehead, looking at his scar. He says "... What's this from?" The background is a mottled, dark gray. Underneath the last row of panels, the background of the strip turns from white to red, then to black. Over the Skull and Shovels logo are the words, "End of Book One."